Tiedown fitting for ship decks



May 7, 1968 N. HIGUCHI 3,381,925

TIEDOWN FITTING FOR SHIP DECKS Filed Sept. 2, 1966 f m iw A 72 n g m 15 FIE. 1

I N VENTOR. NOR/ H/GUCH/ United States Patent 3,381,925 TIEDOWN FITTING FOR SHIP DECKS Nori Higuclii, Northport, N.Y., assignor to Davis Aircraft Products, Inc., Northport, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 576,954 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-361) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to anchoring fittings for attaching a tiedown means to a floor or deck. The device includes a shank member with means attached to its lower end adapted to be inserted through an opening provided in the floor to engage the underside of th floor panel, spring biased washer means slidably mounted on the shank member and adapted to engage the upper surface of the floor panel to hold the shank member in an upright position. A ring for connection to a tiedown means is attached to the upper end of the shank member.

The invention herein disclosed relates to fittings used on shipboard to provide anchorage for securing tiedown loads.

Objects of the invention particularly are to provide a simple, low cost anchorage fitting which can be quickly installed or removed and which will safely and securely hold any loading for which it may be intended.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide a fitting of this type consisting of but few readily assembled parts and which will be relatively small in size so as to not take up useful deck space.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which the purposes of the invention are attained, are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 in the drawing is a front elevation of one of the tiedown fittings, as installed in a ship deck, the decking being indicated in cross section.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device.

FIG. 3 is a detail showing how the device may be collapsed to engage it in or remove it from a ship deck.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the fitting.

The body of the device is shown in the form of a substantial bolt or stud 5, having a head 6, at the upper or outer end and having a screw thread 7 at the inner or lower end.

The head of the stud has a transverse opening 8 therethrough receiving a ring 9 or equivalent, for connection of tiedown gear.

A nut 10 and washer 11 confine an anchorage bar 12 on the lower end portion of the stud.

A feature of this bar is that it is longer than the diameter of the hole 13, FIG. 1, in the deck 14 in which the device is to be used and of a width, FIGS. 2 and 4, less than the diameter of such hole so that as shown in FIG. 3, this bar may be entered through the hole and be brought up into engagement with the underside of the deck.

The anchor bar is provided with a substantially center opening 15 of a larger diameter than the stud, so as to be freely movable for ease in passing the bar down through the deck opening.

Cir

Patented May 7, 1968 The stud and anchor bar are positioned and centered in the deck opening by a cup 16 swivelled in sliding engagement on the stud above the bar.

This positioning cup has a downwardly tapered or bevelled underside at 17 to approximately fit the deck opening, and an outstanding annular flange 18 of larger diameter than the opening to rest on the upper side of the deck plating.

A coiled spring 19 surrounding the stud and disposed between the head 6 and the cup, serves to normally retain the parts as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

To engage the fitting in a deck opening, it is only necessary to lift the centering cup against the tension of the spring, as shown in FIG. 3, whereupon the fitting may be tipped to one side to clear the bar from the deck opening.

After passing the bar down through the deck opening, the device will automatically center itself, with the bar engaging beneath the deck, by release of the hold on the cup, which then under pressure of the spring, will automatically center itself and hence the complete device, in the opening, where the spring will automatically hold it clamped in place ready for connection of any kind of tiedown gear.

The device consists of but few parts and is of particularly simple and low cost construction.

To facilitate the collapsing of the device for insertion into or removal from a deck hole, the conical cup 16, may be equipped with oppositely disposed outstanding finger grips 20, so that with thumb pressure on the upper end of the stud, the cup may be lifted by the two fingers of the same hand, enabling single handed operation of the device.

While practical to provide a head at the upper end of the stud for connection of tiedown gear and to use a nut and washer on the lower end of the stud to provide an abutment for the anchorage bar, it is contemplated that this relation may be reversed, as by forging a rounded head on the lower end of the stud to provide the abut ment and screw-threading or otherwise connecting the tiedown ring with the upper end of the stud and the invention will be understood as including this possibility.

Other changes are included within the scope of the invention, as for example, the substitution of other forms of tiedown connecting means in place of the simple swivel ring shown.

What is claimed is:

1. A tiedown anchorage for installation in attachment holes in ship decks, comprising a bolt to extend down through a deck hole,

spring abutment means and means for attachment of a tiedown connection, on the upper end of said bolt,

a bolt centering cup centrally swiveled and slidingly engaged on said bolt below said spring abutment means,

said cup being tapered at the lower side to approximately the diameter of the deck hole and thereby adapted to center the bolt in the deck hole,

said cup having an outstanding annular flange at the upper edge of the same of larger diameter than the deck hole to seat on the deck and extended into an exposed hand grip for lifting the cup out of the hole,

an anchor bar of less width than the diameter of the hole and of greater length than the diameter of the hole to pass down through the hole into position bridging the hole, beneath the deck,

said bar being loosely swivelled on the bolt intermediate its ends, by an oversize opening enabling the bar to be angled on the bolt sufficiently to pass 3 4 through the hole into position to engage beneath the References Cited deck, q abutment means for loosely holding the bar on the UNITED STAGES PATENT lower end of the bolt, and 2,688,289 9/ 1954 Sterling 105-369 a coiled expansion spring on the bolt, confined between FOREIGN PATENTS said spring abutment at the top and said cup at the bottom for yieldingly holding the anchorage seated 557722 6/1957 Belglum' in a deck hole and yieldable by lifting of the cup or downward pressure on the bolt to free the anchor ROY FRAZER Prmary Exammer' bar from engagement with the deck sufficiently for 10 I, FRANKLIN FOSS, Assistant Examiner. the bar to be angled on the bolt for withdrawal of the anchorage from the deck hole. 

